Chapter Three
Rita sipped her tea and looked over at Chris as they sat in the restaurant. He'd been quiet since they'd left the crime scene. She asked, "Sam, are you okay? Tell me what's wrong? Is it John?"
Chris looked up at her and shook his head, "Yes and no, I just lost a friend, that's true, but what bothers me more is that this will mean an end to the honeymoon. I wanted you to relax and have fun so badly! But now I can't see us staying here. I wouldn't be surprised if John asked us to pay full price after what happened. My questioning upset him more than I'd have thought. Should we go home, or try to find a place to stay?" Chris laughed at the absurdity of it all. "What do we have, bad karma or something?"
"His reaction was a bit extreme," Rita agreed quickly, not wanting to talk about Martin. She placed her hand on his and said, "I've had a wonderful time, and I wouldn't be upset if we went home early. I love you so much, Chris. Just being with you is enough for me!"
Chris smiled, "Thanks, Sam, but I promised you a wonderful honeymoon, and I'm going to make sure it happens! We have four days left, and we're going to spend them here! I know you want to stay. You don't have to hide it from me, Rita."
"Yes, I'd like to stay, but I agree that we can't stay at the resort. So where do we go? It will be almost impossible to get a room on this short of notice. Unless you are friends with another resort owner," Rita said with a smile.
Chris grinned, "No, and I think that's a good thing. We'll figure something out, don't worry."
"Who's worried?" Rita grinned, "You sure know how to show a girl a good time!"
He began to laugh and moved to kiss his wife. "Well I try, Sam. It's a gift." Chris helped her off her chair, and she ran a single finger up his chest.
"A gift, huh? " Rita smiled at him.
"Will you answer my questions, Mr. Martin?" Yokanana asked for the forth time. "This will go much faster if you work with me."
Martin smiled coldly and took a draw of his cigarette, "Am I a suspect? I've already given you an alibi for last night! I'm a respected business man, and I don't appreciate your questions!"
"With all due respect, Sir, your girlfriend was found murdered in your hotel! You see nothing unusual in that?"
"Linda was a very friendly girl, and she had many admirers," Martin admitted with frank bluntness.
"Are you saying she cheated on you?" Yokanana asked.
"Yes, but so did I. It was hard not to given her work," Martin said.
"What do you mean by that? Was she an escort?" Yokahana asked, his eyes narrowing.
Martin sighed, his boredom for the interview clearly showing. "Like I said, she was very friendly. She worked as a hostess and waitress, but also as a dancer, an exotic dancer, and sometimes she gave her special customers the full service treatment, if you know what I mean."
"Did that make you jealous?" Yokahana asked.
Martin began to laugh, "Time's up, Sergeant, if you have anything else to ask me, you can talk to my lawyer." He rose and walked down the hallway. Yokahana shook his head and sighed. This case wouldn't be easy, and he'd have to solve it alone.
Chris wanted to talk to John, to explain his actions again, but the hotel manager informed him that John had nothing more to say. However, out of respect for their former friendship, he would not renege on their deal and would allow them to remain at the hotel for an additional day to arrange other accommodation. Chris had expected far worse and was slightly relieved, but he and Rita were still unsure what to do next. He sat next to Rita in the lobby lost in thought. Rita noticed Nancy Martin walking toward them, and she nudged Chris.
"Mr. Lorenzo, Mrs. Lorenzo, I just wanted to see how you were? I heard what happened this morning, and I can't believe it! Nothing like this has ever happened here before!" Chris and Rita were caught off guard by her unexpectedly friendly manner.
Chris nodded, his expression remaining neutral. "We're fine Nancy, thanks," Chris began, "after awhile you get used to it."
"I couldn't imagine anybody getting used to it, but I guess in your line of work you have no choice," Nancy replied.
"No, not really," Rita agreed as a tense silence fell between them.
Nancy broke the silence, "I must apologize for my brother, Mr. Lorenzo. You were just trying to help him, and he should be grateful for your support."
"Well, he didn't see it that way, and maybe he was right. What kind of person interrogates his friend?" Chris asked.
"Hard questions hurt, Mr. Lorenzo, but my brother doesn't understand that," Nancy said tonelessly.
"Did you ever meet Linda Jensen?" Rita asked Nancy.
Nancy blinked, "What? Oh no, I didn't know her well. My brother and I don't talk much, and never about his personal life." Nancy glanced at her watch, "I must be going, but I wanted to see you before you left. I hope you enjoy the rest of your honeymoon, and good luck with your baby."
Rita watched her as she walked off and asked, "Did you notice she didn't say anything positive about her big brother?"
"Yeah, I sure did," Chris answered.
As they were walking back to their room, they came across Sgt. Yokahana.
"Hello again," he said.
"Hello," Chris replied.
"Hello, Sgt. Yokahana," Rita said.
"So," Chris began, "how's the investigation coming? If we can ask."
"Not very good, I'm afraid. You were correct about what Linda Jensen did for a living. She was a hostess, waitress, and an exotic dancer. Martin implied that she was a escort, too," Yokahana said.
"He said that, and it didn't bother him?" Chris asked, stunned at the unmasking of his friend's true nature.
"No, he didn't seem to care. He found humor in it," Yokahana replied.
Rita frowned, "So he was no help at all," Yokahana shook his head. "Does he have an alibi?"
"He said he was in Maui, but I'll need to check his story. He told me what happened this morning." Yokahana paused and studied Chris. "It took guts and integrity to question your friend like you did. I checked your backgrounds and what you did doesn't come as much of a surprise. According to your boss, Captain Lipshitz, the homicide team of Lance and Lorenzo are the best in Palm Beach. I can see why. He seems to think a lot of you, Mr. Lorenzo."
Chris grimaced, "Sometimes he does, and please call me Chris."
"You've been there, haven't you, you've had to choose between friendship and the job?" Rita asked.
Yokahana nodded, "Yes I've been there." He quickly changed topics as he asked, "Will you be going home or staying?"
"Staying," Chris answered, "but we're not sure where yet. We still have four days left on our vacation."
"Besides," Rita said wistfully, "it's so wonderful here. I can see why people call it paradise."
"I've lived here all my life, and it's a part of me. It can be paradise, but not always, like anywhere I guess," Yokahana said.
"It's a lot like Palm Beach in that regard. Heaven for some," Chris looked at Rita and smiled, "but it can be hell for others."
"I'm afraid I need to be getting back to town, but I'd like you to be my guests for lunch. There's a fantastic restaurant in Waikiki, and I'd like to take you there. I'll give you the directions. My first name is Yoshi by the way." He wrote the directions down on his pad, and ripping it off, handed it to Chris.
"Sure, thanks, we'll see you there, Yoshi," Chris shook his hand.
"Yes, thanks, that sounds like fun, goodbye," Rita said.
"Bye and thank you for your help." Yoshi Yokahana slowly made his way down the hall but halted and pulled out his cell phone. There was a call he needed to make.
The ride into the restaurant was an easy one thanks to Yokahana's detailed and clear directions. Waikiki Beach was still a wonder to Chris and Rita. Of course, growing up in the most important town on Florida's Gold Coast, they were used to fantastic beaches, but somehow Waikiki was special. It and its famous landmark-Diamond Head. Chris parked their rental car outside the restaurant which fronted the beach. He climbed out and walked to Rita's door and gazed at the white beach, full of people, and the aqua ocean beyond it. They walked to the restaurant and were relived to get out of the sun and into the air conditioning.
The restaurant was quite crowded, and Rita was on the verge of asking the hostess where Yokahana was when he appeared next to them. "Hey, I'm glad you came. Did you have any trouble getting here?"
"No, your directions were great, thanks, Yoshi," Chris said.
"This is a nice place," Rita told him as he led them to their table.
"Thanks, actually my cousin owns it, so I come here a lot," Yokahana explained. A waitress appeared and took their orders. "Did you have any luck finding a place to stay?"
Chris shook his head, "No, we didn't. We'll try again, but if we don't find anything we'll have to head home.
"We'd rather not do that, Yoshi," Rita said, "but it doesn't look like we're going to have much choice."
"I may have a solution to your problem, but we'll talk about that later. When exactly did you get married?" he asked, not giving them a chance to question him further.
"About two weeks ago," Rita smiled happily, "we hadn't planned on going anywhere for our honeymoon, but Chris got this deal with Martin, and we decided it was now or never."
"I know exactly what you mean!" Yoshi replied in amusement. "My wife Mariko and I have been married nine years. We ended up going to another one of the islands for our honeymoon. Money was tight at the time, but we had fun anyway."
Chris chuckled, "Do you have kids?"
"Yes, two. Nureko, she's seven, and then there's little Yoshi, he just turned five. Now that he's older, my wife will be going back to work," he explained.
"What does she do?" Rita asked.
"She was a cop, a good one, too, we worked together for a few years."
"But no married partners, right?" Rita asked.
Yoshi nodded soberly, "Right. I really miss her on the job sometimes. When Yoshi was born she decided to quit the force, she hadn't stayed home with Nureko full time, and I think she missed it. Have you been split up yet?" Yoshi asked.
Chris shook his head, "Not yet, but it's coming, we both know that. Rita and I met about nine years ago while we were working in vice and narcotics."
"Where you partners then?" Yoshi asked.
"No," Rita answered, "we worked on and off in narcotics and later homicide for about four years. Finally in 1990, we were made partners, transferred to the "Silk Stalkings" detail and promoted to Sergeant. We were the youngest in department history."
"Silk Stalkings?" Yoshi asked in a puzzled voice.
Their meals came, and Chris waited until they'd tasted them before he answered, "Have you ever been to Palm Beach?" Chris asked and Yoshi shook his head no. "It's an interesting place, I'd say unique. It's the Sodom and Gomorrah of the east coast, and the home to the idle rich. Our job is to keep the hotshots in line and clean up their messes."
Yoshi laughed and Rita tried to clarify, "In other words, we're the departments' experts on crimes of passion and high society crimes. A 'Silk Stalking' is Chris' pet name for a crime of passion."
"I understand. I also got the sense from your Captain that you act as trouble shooters," Yoshi stated.
Chris took another bite of his tasty food before replying, "I've never thought of it like that, but I guess it's true. Rita and I are often sent either together or alone to other divisions to work special cases."
"Your Captain thinks a great deal of you, and what I saw of your record is impressive. But still your department is going to split you up?" Yoshi asked incredulously.
Rita nodded, "Like your department, PBPD has a rule about nothing physical between partners and no married partners."
"Our case is being reviewed by a special board as we speak. We're hoping, as is our Captain, that our record, and the fact that we're such a good team, will allow us to stay together, even though we are married," Rita explained, but added, "It doesn't look very good."
"I understand, and I wish you luck. From where I sit, that board would be foolish to split you and Chris up, but rules are rules I guess." Yoshi said. They left the restaurant, and Yoshi guided them to a small park by the beach.
Chris asked, taking a seat on a park bench, "Yoshi, you said you'd be able to help us with a place to stay. What did you mean by that?"
"I'd like you and Rita to be my family's guest for the remainder of your stay." They began to protest, but he cut them off. "Hear me out! My wife inherited a fair amount of money from her parents, and with it, we bought a house on Ewa Beach, and a very cozy guest house came along with it. We were going to rent it, but we've been putting it off. It's very private, and it would not be a burden on us at all. I've already spoken to Mariko, and she's really looking forward to meeting you. Well?"
Rita glanced at Chris, and it was clear he thought it was a good idea. The Yokahanas were in many ways an older version of themselves. They'd regret not getting to know them better. "Okay," Rita said, "you've talked us into it. Thank you."
"Hey, we cops have to stick together, right?" Yoshi grinned and added. "I get off about four, I'll meet you at your hotel."